Muhammad Ali & Serena Williams Will Be Honored With The Jesse Owens Award

The International Athletic Association (IAA) announced on February 16th that Serena Williams and Muhammad Ali, two of the greatest athletes to ever walk this earth, will be this year’s recipients of the Jesse Owens Awards.

“This year marks the 81st anniversary of Jesse Owens’ incomparable triumph at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won four gold medals and defeated Hitler’s superiority ambitions,” as it states on the article written by Yahoo Finance. “Herb Douglas Jr., bronze medalist in the 1948 London Olympics and protégé of Jesse Owens, co-founded the Award program with Owens’ widow Ruth and their three daughters in 1981. They saw a need to honor Owens and created this annual, charitable celebration where the biggest sports icons of yesterday and today gather to continue his legacy.”

There are two Jesse Owens’ awards, the Athlete Award, and the World Peace Award. Williams will be  awarded the Jesse Owens Athlete Trophy as she comes off her 23rd grand slam win at the Australian Open, giving her the most in the Open era. Williams joins past winners like  Carl Lewis, Greg Louganis, Sebastian Coe, Haile Gebrselassie, Edwin Moses, Vitali Scherbo, and others.

Ali will receive the Global Peace Award. The three-time heavyweight boxing champion’s achievements in the ring were matched, if not arguably exceeded by the symbol of peace and justice he came to represent outside of it for his people, his religion, and his beliefs. Over time he became an international hero for his actions in and out of the ring. Ali passed away in  June of 2016. His family will accept the Award in his honor.

The International Athletic Association (IAA) is a non-profit organization established to promote and to encourage universal values of fairness, integrity, uncompromising sportsmanship and excellence in athletic competition. Committed to keeping alive the spirit, heart, and qualities of world renowned US Olympian, Jesse Owens, the IAA hosts the Jesse Owens International Trophy Award Gala to support youth and aspiring Olympic athletes.

“Jesse Owens used the global stage of the Olympics and his status as a world-class athlete to make a considerable difference in the world,” said Herbert P. Douglas, Jr., Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the International Athletic Association Board of Directors, and oldest living African American Olympian. “We are thrilled to be recognizing Serena Williams who is one of the greatest athletes of our time and the quintessence of uncompromising sportsmanship.”